Police chases generally aren’t like the ones you see on television.

You might think they’re all like that (awesome) scene from Steve McQueen’s “Bullitt” — the youngsters might prefer a “Fast and the Furious” reference instead — but in reality, officers will call off a chase if things get too dicey.

That’s what happened early Saturday morning.

Around 2 a.m. an officer tried to stop a black Mercedes Benz in the 800 block of Kentucky Street, said Lawrence Police Sgt. Amy Rhoads. The Mercedes didn’t stop, however, and fled the scene with the officer tailing.

The Mercedes headed north, through North Lawrence and on to U.S. Highway 40 “at a high rate of speed” before turning east on Kansas Highway 32, Rhoads said. Around this time the chase ended “due to the excessive and dangerous speeds.”

That’s not to say Lawrence police gave up, however.

Officers contacted nearby law enforcement agencies and gave them a description of the Mercedes, Rhoads said.

Soon, Tonganoxie police officers found the Mercedes in a nearby residential development, Rhoads said. The people inside reportedly fled on foot and have not been found.

Nobody was injured in the chase and police are investigating the matter, Rhoads said.

I report on crime and courts for the Journal-World. I can be reached by email at cswanson@ljworld.com, by phone at (785) 832-7284 or on Twitter @Conrad_Swanson.